Rumpelstiltskin's New Daughter
by LilyBelleMichele188
Summary: Years ago if you had told the Dark One that he'd become a Father again after losing Bae to his own cowardice, he would have laughed you right into your grave.However he didn't count on the former Evil Queen to come asking for his help adopting a baby and he certainly never counted on falling in love with the golden haired twin sister of the infant he ending up procuring for her.
1. A New Baby

(So this is something new I'm trying. I know this has been done before, but I hope you enjoy! I own nothing but my OC)

...

Years ago if you had told Rumpelstiltskin that he'd become a Father again and learn to love and be loved after losing Bae to his own cowardice, he would have laughed you right into your grave.

However he didn't count on Regina, Mayor of Storybrooke and former Queen of the Enchanted Forest to come asking him one afternoon to help her adopt a baby and he certainly never counted on falling in love with the beautiful golden haired twin sister of the infant he ended up procuring for her.

...

"Gold! I need your help!" Regina stormed into the pawn shop, her dark eyes flaring as usual.

"Ah...so I see. And how can I be of...assistance to you...your Majesty?" Gold's seemingly polite greeting belied a hint of sarcasm as the sharply dressed woman quickly approached the counter.

"I want a baby." Regina's voice wavered slightly as she brought her proposition to the Imp. "I want a child of my own and I need your help to get one." The former Queen folded her arms together, straightening herself so that she matched the pawnbroker's height.

"Well I'm flattered, but uniterested. Sorry, but we are closed now." Gold started to wave her off, but Regina was not one to be turned away.

"Not like that!" Her retort came off much sharper then she intended. "I...I've spent all morning, talking to adoption agencies...and they all have a wait list that's over two months long." Her shoulders slumped a bit as she leaned into this fact.

"But you Gold," Her demeanor quickly perked up again. "You know how to cross red tape. And if there's anyone who can work the system and find me a baby...it's you." She smiled hopefully.

Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "You wish to adopt?" He asked sounding a bit surprised.

"You sound surprised." Regina felt miffed.

"Oh I'm not." Gold shook his head. "I'm sure you'd make a...well a Mother of some sort." He concealed a smirk.

Regina suppressed the urge to throw something at him. "Can you help me or not?" She asked, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

"Of course I can help you, but after a word of caution." Gold leaned across the cash register. "Have you asked yourself if this is something you're ready for?" He turned quietly seroius.

Regina raised her chin at him. "It's something I need."

"Well that may not be the same thing." Gold shook his head. Regina clenched her jaw.

"I'll get you a child." Gold spoke before Regina could continue to argue. "But whether or not it helps you, remains to be seen. When you become a parent you see, you must put your child first...no matter what." His voice faded as he became lost in thought, the conversation bringing up memories of his own son, now lost to him forever.

"Don't worry." Regina smiled and turned to head for the door. Gold watched until the door swung shut behind her, jingling the bells he'd hung over the entry way.

...

"Yes, I'd like to speak with Mr. Haring, please." Gold got straight to the point, his eyes never leaving the photographs he'd been sent along with the adoption forms the day he inquired on an infant Regina could adopt.

Although he had asked for one child, the agency had sent him two photographs with the forms, depicting two different babies of similar appearance.

He could only assume that they were a set of twins based on the information he was sent. The agency was obviously presenting him or rather Regina with a choice.

Gold had picked up the phone immediately, intending to secure the male child for Regina upon her request when one of the photos slipped from his desk.

As he bent with some difficulty to retrieve the object, his gaze met that of the baby pictured in the image below and all at once his heart stopped.

It was the girl and though she must have been barely a day old when the photograph was taken, Gold noticed that her eyes were wide open unlike her brother and she was gazing straight at the photographer with a look that seemed vaguely familiar to the pawnbroker.

For certain if it wasn't for the the tiny tufts of golden blonde hair he could see peeking out underneath her soft pink hat, he would have sworn that he was looking at down at Bae again, back in that hut all those years ago when Milah first presented him with a son.

Gold quickly shook the thought from his head. How could he even begin to think about becoming a Father again?

After the way he'd lost Baelfire he didn't think he could bear it if he lost someone else the way he did his son all those years ago in the Dark Forest.

Still the idea was intriguing to him. He had, after all, always wanted a daughter since Bae was born and he knew as well as anyone did that if the girl was not adopted she would be sent to a foster home where she may or may not get the care and love she deserved and needed from the start.

"This is Pete Haring. How may I help you?" A stiff professional male voice answered the phone drawing Gold swiftly out of his reverie.

"Ah yes, this is Roy Gold, I'm calling about the infants you suggested for my client." He hastily brushed a hand through his long well kempt hair and set the picture of the girl down on the table before continuing.

"My client has decided on adopting the boy. I assume you'll send for her to sign the agreement at your agency." He said, his gaze never leaving the picture of the baby girl as he spoke.

"Yes, I will give Miss Mills a call and have everything arranged." Mr. Haring seemed quite satisfied to have reached an agreement so soon. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Gold nodded and ran a finger carefully over the picture of the girl again before responding. "There's uh...There is one more thing I'd like to ask about." He slowly ran his fingers over the glossy texture of the photo.

"The girl...what will happen to her after today?"

"Ah I had a feeling you might ask." Mr. Haring paused briefly before continuing. "I realize Miss Mills was only interested in one child, but I wanted to show you both of them just in case since the child she does not choose will be sent into a foster care facility tomorrow morning. I never liked the idea of separating siblings, but I guess it can't be helped sometimes."

Mr. Gold frowned at this. "And what if I were to tell you, I know of someone...who would be interested in adopting the other baby?" He picked up the photograph again.

"She'd be well cared for with this person and loved more than anything in the world." He held the picture under the dim light of his desk lamp as if trying to get a better look at the quality of the paper.

The baby's image gazed back down at him and he found himself slowly smiling back at her.

Bae would have loved having a baby sister. Someone he could protect and play with as they grew up. Milah would have liked it too as much as he hated to think of his late wife.

And the more he stared at her the more he wanted more than anything to be the girl's Father even if she could never completely fill the void Bae had left in the darkest corner of his heart.

"Who, Mr. Gold? You only mentioned one person was interested in adopting from our agency." Mr. Haring patiently waited for the pawnbroker to clarify his intentions.

"Just send along the adoptions forms." Gold smiled slightly as he kept his gaze fixated on the baby girl. "I will take care of the rest."

He started to hang up the phone, but Haring interrupted.

"You do understand, Mr. Gold they'd have to meet the full requirements of custody eligibility before I can approve the adoption." Haring spoke warningly. "Becoming a parent isn't something you do on a whim. Especially when it's a baby. It's a lot of responsibility for one person."

Mr. Gold stifled a chuckle at the warning. "Trust me, Sir. I know very well what it is to become a parent. Expect to see me within the week to settle the agreement. I will keep the photo you sent me."

He pocketed the photo then ended the call before Haring could continue to argue. The deal was struck.

...

"All right. Looks all the paperwork is in order. Would you like to meet your new daughter now, Mr. Gold?" Haring smiled as he shifted all the legal forms into a folder.

Mr. Gold tapped his fingers softly on the top of his cane. "Of course." He gently straightened his jacket, suppressing the urge to smile genuinely at the man sitting across from him.

He still couldn't believe he was here. It had taken some additional thinking on his part regarding his decision to become a Father again and he had been forced to tweak his legal records a bit so that Mr. Haring would approve of the adoption with no qualms.

What had really helped him seal the deal however was his last conversation with Granny back at her Diner in Storybrooke.

Gold had gone in on errand as usual, picking up rent from the old woman and her granddaughter who worked as a waitress at the establishment.

_"Ah hello Gold. Here for your pay I assume. Ruby! Get the check!" Granny barely looked up from her bill records as the spindly little imp walked casually into the Diner, his can tapping rhythmically on the floor as he walked towards the counter. _

_ Gold stifled a snarky remark as the young lady in question entered from the kitchen doors and slammed an envelope on the counter before returning to her work._

_ Granny stared after her. "Sorry. Ruby's a good girl, but she doesn't always act like it. Her parents died when she was young you understand. I may be her grandmother, but I'm no substitute for her Mother." She picked up a half drunk cup of tea from the counter as she spoke and took a long sip from it._

_ The old woman expected Gold to pay no heed to her words, but instead the old pawnbroker seemed highly interested in what she had to say. _

_ "Indeed...a parent is an irreplaceable person in a chlid's life. And good parents can sometimes be hard to find." Gold stared seemingly mesmerized by the doors Ruby had just gone through._

_ His hand strayed slowly towards his right hand pocket where the photograph of the baby girl he had seen days ago still resided carefully folded into a silken red handkerchief._

_ Granny slowly nodded her head. "Yes well, no parent is perfect. The only way to be a good parent in my book is to never stop trying. Never give up." She turned the page in her notebook._

_ "How are things with the adoption process going by the way. I heard you're helping the Mayor adopt a son. How is that coming? Did she get approved?" She pulled her spectacles up on the bridge of her nose._

_ Gold smiled and averted his gaze swiftly from the doors. "Yes...she has." He turned abruptly to leave the Diner. _

_ "Indeed she has."_

"Ah!" The two men turned when the door to the office opened and a nurse walked in carefully carrying a tiny swaddled bundle.

"Here she is!" Haring beamed chuckling a bit as he rose from his chair. "Isn't she a cutie? Looks like she's just woken up from a nap."

Mr. Gold felt his cane slip from his grip when he saw the baby live, wriggling and rosy in the nurse's protective arms.

She had definitely grown a bit since her picture was taken, but that didn't matter to the old pawnbroker. She was here now, she was beautiful, and she was all his.

"Careful." The nurse warned before transferring the infant into her new Father's arms. "Make sure you support her head." Gold suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as the baby snuffled and wiggled a bit in his arms.

"Hi there..." Gold smiled as the baby looked up at him, curious yet unafraid of the man who held her despite the way the nurse and Mr. Haring were looking at him across the room.

"Hi there, Sweetie...It's your Papa." He started to rock her gently back and forth.

"Papa?" Haring asked, not used to the endearment as the nurse set a diaper bag on the chair next to the new Father.

"Yes," Gold merely nodded his head, seemingly entranced by his new daughter. "Yes, I'm her Papa now." He responded smiling as the baby gurgled to him innocently.

"Isn't that right, Little One?" He brought the child to rest even closer to his own body. Almost instantly the babe nestled into him, closing her eyes as she sucked rhythmically on her pacifer.

"Well would you look at that? She likes you already." Haring cocked his head to the side staring as the baby rested one of her hands softly against the smooth fabric of Mr. Gold's necktie.

Gold's smile widened as the infant fell asleep dozing off to the soothing rocking motion of her new Father's arms. "What makes you say that?" He asked, a soft sad tone tinting the true happiness in his voice.

"Well you see...you're the first besides her nurse to hold her without making her cry. She's usually quite fussy around strangers. Particularly men." Haring explained.

Gold felt his heart grow warm. "Is that right?...One small victory for old Rumpelstiltskin, eh wee one?" He whispered into the baby's ear being careful not to wake her.

"Pardon?" Haring furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's it!" Gold ignored him again. "That's what I'll call you. Victoria." He smiled and continued to rock her.

"Victoria Belle Gold. It's the perfect name for you." He bent to kiss her on her head.

"Victoria...Yes, you are my Victoria. My Victoria." He continued to croon almost completely oblivious to the other two people standing in the room.

"Um, perhaps we'd better get the rest of the paperwork signed so you can be on your way." Haring seemed reluctant to intrude on the moment, but at the same time knew that they had to finish the business portion of the transaction.

"Yes of course." Mr. Gold did not look up from the baby as he answered. He turned to reseat himself, not tearing his gaze away as Mr. Haring left to retrieve the adoption certificates.

...

"You can't be serious." Regina snorted with laughter when she walked into the pawn shop to meet with the owner.

Mr. Gold was inside as usual with some unknown mystical object sitting on his counter waiting to be appraised. However the imp's attention was not on his collection for once in his lifetime.

"What I choose to do with my life is my own personal business, Regina." Gold barely turned to acknowledge the Queen's presence.

Regina smirked as she noted the tiny hand wrapped around Gold's right index finger. "Well I never thought you'd choose this...not after what happened with your son." She stopped and bent over the counter, peering at the infant swaddled in the cradle.

"A good parent never gives up." Mr. Gold reluctantly pulled his hand away from his new daughter's grip. "I may have lost my chance with my son, but I won't lose it with Victoria." He straightened in front of his rival.

"Victoria...is that what you've decided to call her?" Regina averted her gaze from the baby. Gold started to retort. "I came here to thank you for helping me get my son."

Regina paused and took a moment to gather herself before continuing. "Also I know you'll be coming around to collect your end of the bargain soon so I decided to beat you to the punch." She rested her hands on the countertop.

"What do you want?"

Gold raised an eyebrow at her. "Well I happy you asked." He turned away from the Mayor and walked to the wall where an ornate portrait was hung next to an old tapestry that had long gathered dust and cobwebs from its many years.

Regina waited impatiently as the Imp moved the tapestry, unlocked the safe that was behind it and pulled out a thick file containing a hefty stack of paperwork.

"This...contains all every single legal documentation on my new daughter including her birth certificate and adoption forms." Gold suppressed a smile as he held it out to the skeptical mayor.

"I'd like you to hold on to it for me for the time being and keep it where it can't be found." Regina stared suspiciously at the folder.

"That's it? That's all you want from me?" Gold cocked his head to the side. "Do you not have a suitable hiding place at your residence, Miss Mills? Or is this uncertainty about our deal that I'm hearing in your tone?"

"No! Of course I have a safe place for this. What I don't have is your reasons for wanting me to keep Victoria's files. Isn't your safe safe enough?" Regina threw an arm up in the air.

Gold rolled his eyes. "Of course it is, but I want to be doubly sure that the wrong person does not find these papers." His gaze twitched briefly in the direction of the baby.

Regina noticed the glance.

"So I see," She began to collect herself as the pieces came together in her mind. "This isn't about our deal as much as it is about Victoria, is it?" She leaned over the counter and put her hand on the file.

"You don't want her finding out she's not your real daughter one day. Even if that means pushing her away like you did your own son." Gold narrowed his eyes at that.

"I'm not going to lose my child. Not this time, Regina." He moved to set his hand gently on the edge of Victoria's cradle. Regina raised an eyebrow at that as the old pawnbroker began to slowly rock the cradle back and forth in a slow soothing motion.

"Do we have a deal, Miss Mills?" Gold kept his darkened gaze on the former Queen, using his free hand to push the file towards her.

Regina reluctantly snatched the folder from the counter after a minute. "Fine." She practically snarled her answer before stomping her way to the door.

She paused just before she could reach the doorknob.

"You know if this goes south one day, don't expect me to shoulder all the blame." Regina stopped to turn her imperious gaze back on the old sorceror.

"You are her Father now after all." She sneered bitterly.

Mr. Gold glared back at her. "I am well aware." He countered, leaving no more room for argument. Regina reluctantly complied again, making sure to slam the door loudly after herself.

Gold flinched when the noise caused Victoria to stir and wake from her light slumber despite the soothing motion of the cradle.

"Oh no no no, shh shh!" Mr. Gold quickly scooped the crying infant into his arms, cradling her against his body as she fussed pitifully at him. "Shh shh, you're all right Darling. You're all right...Don't cry. Papa's got you." He turned and began to walk around the narrow area behind the counter, patting the baby soothingly on the back as he did so.

Gradually the crying turned into hiccups and Mr. Gold felt a smile spread across his face as he felt those tiny little fingers weakly attempt to grip the fabric of his tie again.

"There's a good girl." He crooned looking down affectionately at his new daughter. "You're such a good girl, aren't you Victoria?" He using the corner of her blanket to wipe away her tears before turning to grab her pacifer from the cradle.

The baby accepted the object gratefully and sucked happily on the nipple as her new guardian continued to walk her around the shop rocking her all the way. His cane lay forgotten by the cash register.

"I am going to prove them all wrong about us, Dearie." Gold paused before he reached the room divider that led into his secret storage area in the back of his pawn shop.

"I am going to prove to everyone including my son...that I _can_ be a good Papa to you, despite every mistake I made." He continued to rock her rhythmically stroking the soft pad of her cheek gently with the tip of his index finger.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, little one?" Gold continued to look down lovingly at his daughter enjoying the warmth their combined body heat gave him as he held her closely between his arms.

He grabbed her tiny hand within his larger one and kissed her fingers softly before returning her arm back at her side.

Victoria grabbed his hand before he could pull it away cooing as if she'd understood every word he had said to her.

Mr. Gold smiled at that and turned to carry his precious little bundle back to her cradle never taking his eyes off of his daughter's soft innocent gaze.

"That's right. Your Papa loves you, Victoria." He soothed, continuing to rock her until she fell asleep still suckling quietly on her pacifer.

"Papa loves you so very very much indeed."

...


	2. Nighttime Lullaby

(Hi guys! So I originally intended to leave this as a one shot but when I saw how much people liked it, I got inspired to write another story about Mr. Gold and Baby Victoria. I hope you enjoy. I hope soon to release a longer story about my OC when she is a little older, but I'm struggling about how to begin that story so it may be awhile. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this little cute drabble. I hope I didn't take Gold out of character though I might have. :) I own nothing but Victoria.)

...

A bad storm was passing through Storybrooke. Gold hardly noticed it though he was worried that the thunder and lightening might frighten his three month old adopted daughter who was sleeping nearby in her cradle.

Through his peripherals, he watched the steady rise and fall of her little chest as he rocked the cradle, gently lulling the child into what he hoped was a deep peaceful sleep.

A soft smile lit the old pawnbroker's features for a brief minute when he saw how peaceful Victoria was. She was rarely so quiet during the day. Not that Gold minded having to attend to her.

Though most people were wary of Gold's ability to care for a child, he happily proved them wrong on a daily basis by always carrying her with him on errands and looking after her in the shop while he attended to his work.

_"Who'd have thunk it." _Granny had murmured one day when she thought Mr. Gold was out of earshot in her diner._ "Gold...a proper Father."_ She'd shook her head as the man in question walked out the door tickling his daughter's chin in order to make her smile.

Gold started to snort softly at the memory when a bright streak of lightening suddenly lit up the dimly lit basement causing him to look up from the yarn he was spinning at the old spinning wheel he owned.

Tense the pawnbroker waited as the darkness covered them again, but only a soft rumble of thunder followed and the baby did not stir or shift from the sound.

Satisfied he resumed his work rocking the cradle again with his free hand as he thought of the new hat and mittens he would make for his daughter to wear in the coming winter.

She would be the most finely dressed child in the town if he had anything to say about it. Even finer than the Mayor's boy.

Gold chuckled at this thought as a second flash of lightening streaked across the sky. This time a loud crack of thunder shook the house.

"Aaaa...Aaaaaaaa!" A soft piercing cry erupted from the cradle beneath his hand. Gold sighed and stopped rocking the cradle. "All right little one." He tried to soothe the squalling baby as he scooped her up from her bed.

"There there. You're all right. It's just little thunder." Gold gently held her against his body knowing she liked to be held this way the best.

When the crying did not stop as the new Father expected, Gold grimaced and rose slowly to his feet ignoring the slight pain that raced up his bad leg when he attempted to put pressure on it.

"Shh. Shh. There there..." He repeated patting Victoria gently through the blankets as he walked across the basement to where he kept the spare changing table.

"Papa's got you. Don't cry. Don't cry." He whispered hoping she would calm soon as he got her a fresh diaper. Still she kept crying and fussing as the night wore on and the storm continued to beat mercilessly on the many walls of the house.

Finding a squeaky ducky toy that Victoria enjoyed he picked it up with his spare hand and squeezed it hoping it would distract his daughter from her surroundings as he cleaned up.

"Shh shh...it's all right now. You're all right. Look at the Duckie." Gold soothed quickly rebuttoning her onesie with one hand while he continued to make the duckie squeak. For a brief moment the baby stopped crying but then another streak of lightening lit up the room.

"Shh...Shh...Shh Darling." Mr. Gold put down the toy and quickly reswaddled her into her blanket before picking her back up into his arms again. Grabbing the ducky, he turned to walk her back towards the windows so he could close the drapes and block out the lightening a bit more.

Victoria continued to cry however and fussed despite every verbal attempt Gold made to quiet her. Finally she knocked the ducky from his hand just as he was about to close the last set of curtains.

Gold sighed and for a second deliberated with himself on whether or not to pick it up.

Finally he decided to go turn the lights on.

"Hush...Hush little one..." Gold began to sing softly under his breath as he hit the switch. He hoped Victoria would hear him as he rocked her slowly back and forth in a soft lulling motion.

"...Don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird." Gold let their walk take them back towards the spinning wheel where the cradle lay next to his old stool.

"And if that mocking bird won't sing...then Papa will go buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns to brass..." Gold glanced down at the still weeping baby and stroked her before continuing to sing.

"Papa will go find you a looking glass...and if that looking glass gets broken then Papa will go find you a golden token." He stopped by the empty cradle and reached down to grab Victoria's pacifier.

"And if that golden token gets lost..." Gold gently placed the nipple of the pacifier into his daughter's mouth almost immediately ebbing her cries.

"You'll still be the one...your Papa loves most." Gold smiled as he finished his lullaby. Victoria looked back at him, whimpering through her pacifier as sleep began to reclaim her.

Gold bent and pressed a soft tender kiss to her forehead as another rumble of thunder broke through the night.

"Now...go back to sleep little one. I'll be here until the storm passes." He promised as rubbed away her tears with the corner of her blanket. She blinked and raised a hand in response to him grazing the tip of his nose with her tiny little fingers.

"Mmm..." She whined as if protesting her own exhaustion. Gold chuckled softly at her at that. "Yes, yes you are." He turned to take another walk about the room.

"I can see you're very tired, Victoria so don't fight it. Don't let the storm bother you." He soothed making sure to avoid walking in the direction of the windows lest the lightening made her cry again.

"Go to sleep."

The child cooed as if responding to his order. Slowly her arm dropped back down against her chest and her eyes slowly drooped.

"That's it. That's a good girl." Gold crooned as he felt her breathing even out slowly. "Good Girl." He took another turn about the room.

Once he was sure Victoria was asleep again, he walked back towards the cradle and lowered her back against the cushions before seating himself back onto the stool.

With care he covered the baby with a second blanket before rocking the cradle gently back and forth in the same soothing motion he had while he held her in his arms.

The child did not stir or wake and Gold smiled as he he watch his daughter sleep once more undisturbed by all around her.

"Hush little one, don't say a word. Papa's gonna find you a mockingbird." He began to sing again as the storm continued.

With his free hand he turned the wheel of the spinning wheel, seemingly oblivious to its motion as new yarn spun through the spindle.

...


	3. Feeding Time

(A new little short for you guys. I honestly had no idea where this was going at first and I wasn't even going to post it but I gave in and decided to put it up. I hope you like it though I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense sometimes. :))

"That's it. That's it. Not too fast...There's a good girl." Gold smiled as he carefully held the nursing bottle for his baby daughter.

The greedy sucks and smacks he heard made him smile even more as he watched the infant grab weakly at the bottle.

"Gold! We need to talk!" Regina walked in as per usual without taking care to knock or open the door gently. Gold hardly flinched when the door slammed.

"Sorry Dearie, but I am busy. Come back later and maybe I'll lend you an ear." He turned around in his chair keeping his back to the Mayor as he wiggled the nipple of the bottle around in Victoria's mouth.

"This can't wait. I need your help." Regina glared holes into the back of Mr. Gold's head while he continued to ignore her.

"Really?"

"Really. I think Henry is sick."

"Mmm..." Gold smiled and cooed at the baby. "Have you eaten your fill, Darling?" He asked, using the bib to catch the dribbles on the baby's chin.

The Mayor bit her lip irritably. "Henry won't take his formula anymore. Whatever I try to feed him he spits out and what he does take in he throws up later when I burp him." She glanced down as Mr. Gold finally turned around to face her setting down the now nearly empty nursing bottle on the counter.

"So I see..." Gold quickly adjusted his grip on Victoria. "Any fevers? Swelling in the midsection?" He grabbed the burping cloth from the table next to him.

Regina shook her head. "No...but he hasn't kept much down for past three days. I'm worried." She said with pointed frankness as she leaned across the counter to try to make eye contact with Gold as he burped his daughter.

"Hmm.." Gold nodded as he set the baby on his shoulder and stood slowly to his feet. "It looks to me like you need to switch formulas." He smiled and began to pat Victoria on the back.

Regina did not move. "And?"

"And?" Gold matched the Mayor's expression. "You're expecting a magic cure?" He raised an eyebrow in a impish fashion that annoyed Regina briefly.

"Your daughter had trouble taking her formula a couple weeks back, but now she's doing fine. I want to know exactly what you did and what you gave her so I can try it on my son." The Mayor folded her arms across her chest just as Victoria let out a sound belch.

"Ah that's my girl." Gold smiled and switched the baby to a cradle position on his arm before moving to a cabinet in the back of the pawnshop.

"So you want to know my secret?" He asked glancing at Regina before she could snap at him again.

Regina wrinkled her nose at the soft putrid odor that softly hit her nostrils. "More or less." She followed him to the other side of the counter.

Gold chuckled and deftly opened the cabinet with one hand. "There's no real secret here, Regina. All I did is what you should do." He turned and set a bottle of powdered infant formula on the table.

"I switched to this new formula which I special ordered from an organic producer out of town. It's healthier not to mention tastier than the generic brands you find in the stores." The pawnbroker smirked deftly before sliding the bottle across the counter to her.

"The first one is free."

Regina stared distrustfully at the object. "Nothing is free from you." She looked up to meet Gold's gaze. "What's the catch?"

Gold chuckled at her uncertainty. "No catch. Just a gift for a...fellow single parent." He adjusted his hold on the baby before turning to leave the cashier station.

"Now if you'll excuse us Madam Mayor, it's time for our regular walk." He grabbed a bonnet from the baby carseat before taking his cane from the side of the counter.

"The shop is now closed."

Regina stifled a sarcastic snigger as the baby cooed happily in her Father's arms, squirming a little when he tried to put her hat on. "Of course." She took the formula powder firmly from the table and glanced at it one more time before slipping it into her jacket pocket.

Gold made a show of opening the front door for her and made a sweeping motion with his arm. "After you."

Regina snorted and took her time stepping lithely out the door. "Ah?" Victoria burbled catching the Mayor's attention as she got one foot outside.

Her gaze fell back on the infant whose chin was now lightly damp with a spittle of saliva. Her large innocent brown eyes met the gaze of the hard-hearted woman before she could turn away and a sound that was barely discernable as a laugh burst from her.

"That's right. We're going to the park." Gold smiled amused as he gently set his little child in her carrier at his chest.

"We're going to see the birds and the squirrels again. Wouldn't you like that, Victoria?" Gold used one hand to close the door to his shop with a satisfying jingle of bells and windchimes before pulling the key to the shop from his pocket.

Regina quickly tore her eyes away from the scene as the pawnbroker turned to lock the door.

"Was there something else, Madam Mayor?" Gold smirked a bit when he saw Regina flinch a bit in surprise.

"No...I was just thinking that..." Regina began then shook her head deciding it was better not to finish her thought. Besides Henry would be waking up from his nap soon and heaven knows Graham didn't know the first thing about babies.

"Thinking what?" Gold asked his tone telling Regina that he wasn't really curious about what she had been about to say, but he was asking anyway for the amusement of it.

Regina sighed. "Nothing. It's not important. I need to get this home to Henry." She bit her lip then started down the street towards the center of town where her mansion was located clutching the bottle Gold gave her earlier.

Satisfied yet slightly perturbed by her abrupt answer, Gold turned to head down the opposite direction on the street with one hand on his cane and the other cradled around his little Victoria's round little body.


	4. Boo-Boos and Fairytales

(Here's a new short for Gold and Victoria. I'm glad you guys like these so much and I am trying to write a story about Victoria in the OUAT storyline, so hopefully I can have that up soon. Hope you enjoy this story. I own nothing but Victoria)

Boo-Boos and Fairytales

...

Another Father-Daughter moment between Rumpelstiltskin and his adopted daughter Victoria who is five years old in this little short. When she falls while playing one day Gold decides to tell his daughter her favorite fairytale as a distraction from the pain.

...

"Bedtime, Victoria." Mr. Gold walked into little playroom where his five year old daughter sat playing tea party with her favorite dolls.

Victoria gave him a pouty look. "Not yet."

"Yes Victoria, you have to go to school in the morning." Gold stepped into the room carefully, leading with his cane as the lamp flickered briefly overhead.

Victoria sighed. "But I'm not done giving my tea party, Papa." She whined, looking sadly at her toys in a way that made Gold smile a bit.

"I'm sure your dolls will understand. Come along. Let's get your teeth brushed and your face washed." He approached his daughter hoping she'd get up so he wouldn't have to strain his bad leg trying to pick her up.

"We can even read Cinderella tonight." Gold added as an extra incentive. Victoria thought about it for a minute.

"I want Rumpelshilsin." She decided instead. A slight smile tugged at the corner of Gold's mouth as it always did when the little girl tried to pronounce the difficult title.

"All right then, Rumpelstiltskin it is. Let's pick up your toys first." He nudged her gently with his cane and motioned towards the piles of toys and dolls scattered around the room.

Victoria sighed then scooped up an armful of dolls from her play table. Gold smiled and seated himself on a little chair to wait as he watched his little girl scurry about putting away her things.

Soon every toy was put away except for an old stuffed lamb which she slept with every night since her Papa bought it for her.

Hugging the lamb to herself Victoria hurried across the carpet to get back to her Father's side beaming at him as he stood from the chair. "Okay all done." She smiled showing a new gap in her mouth where a tooth was missing.

Gold smiled back and started to offer his hand to her when Victoria tripped over the rug and went sprawling across the floor.

"Victoria, are you all right?" Gold sprang forward from where he was standing to scoop up his little child.

"Ow!" She wept, clinging to her Father as Gold brought her gently into his arms abandoning his cane altogether. "Owie!"

"There there. Let Papa take a look at your owie. Does it hurt a lot?" He asked, concern creasing his brow slightly as he thoroughly checked her over for any sign of serious injury.

Victoria nodded her head. "Owie."

"Show me where it hurts." Gold tried to be patient once he became satisfied that there were no broken bones or sprains that he could take notice to.

At this, the little girl held up her right arm and Gold saw at once what was wrong. There just barely visible against the pale skin of her arm was a tiny little cut just on the edge of her elbow.

"Okay I see. Papa will make it all better for you, don't worry. There we are." Gold tried his best to comfort Victoria as he turned carefully to carry her from the room. She continued to cry however as he set her against his chest and hobbled across the hall into the main bathroom.

"Shh shh! There there. It's all right. Papa will fix you up." He soothed as he flipped the toilet seat down and set Victoria down on top of it.

Finding the first aid kit in the medicine cabinet, he searched around its contents until he found what he was looking for. A small tube of disinfectant and a box of colorful bandaids which Victoria liked.

"There we are. What color bandage would you like?" Gold smiled as he tried to distract his daughter from her pain by showing her all the different colors and sizes the bandaids came in.

Victoria slowly stopped crying as she looked in the box. "B...blue one." She hiccuped pulling a light sky blue colored bandage from the pile. Mr. Gold chuckled at the sudden eagerness that lit her teary eyes.

"All right. The blue one it is. Hold still now so I can put some medicine on that cut."

Biting her lip Victoria obediently nodded her head and squeezed her eyes shut as Gold gently squirted some of the ointment on his finger.

He started to apply it to the cut then stopped as he noticed the growing unease in his daughter's expression.

"Victoria, how would you like me to tell you the story of Rumpelstiltskin right now? Then we can read a different story in bed." He proposed knowing that the little girl would be much more at ease if he distracted her from her wound with her favorite story.

Victoria bit her lip.

"Okay." She looked down at her elbow. Gold smiled and gently grabbed her forearm. "Look right at me Sweetheart." He instructed and waited till his little girl had complied with his order.

Slowly he inched his ointment covered finger towards the cut on her arm.

"Once Upon A Time...there was a poor miller who had naught but his house and one kind and beautiful daughter. One day the King himself came to hear of her goodness and beauty and arrived at the miller's house to see her for himself." Gold began to softly retell the story, paraphrasing it from the way it was written in Victoria's fairytale book.

" "Gracious how lovely she is." The King breathed, gazing on the miller's daughter with great desire in his eye. The miller," Gold looked up to meet Victoria's eye again as he continued the story.

"Knowing that the King would make more than a fine match for his daughter made a boast in order to further entice the King's desire. "What of her beauty, Your Majesty? My daughter has the power to spin gold from straw." "

"Oww!" Victoria exclaimed though Gold tried to be gentle with the ointment.

"The King grew excited." Gold continued telling the story as if nothing were wrong. Victoria remained attentive.

"At once he ordered for the Miller's daughter to be brought to his castle so that she might prove the Miller's boast. Taking her to a tower in the far corner of the palace, he brought her to a room at the very top of the spire. The room was filled with bales upon bales of freshly picked straw. In the middle of the room was large golden spinning wheel. "If you can turn all this straw into gold by the time the rooster crows the coming morning, I shall make you my Queen...If not you and your Father will lose your very heads." The King ordered."

Victoria gave a little gasp even though she'd heard this story many times before. Gold smiled and continued speaking as he peeled off the wrapping on the bandaid Victoria had chosen.

"The poor girl was distraught. When King's men locked the door, she fell to her knees amongst the bales of hay and began to weep when-."

"When Rumpelshilsen came to help!" Victoria interrupted grinning as Gold prepared to cover her wound with the little bandage.

"That's right." Gold nodded to her as he removed the last sliver of paper. "A wall in the tower parted and a little imp, no taller than a milking stool pranced into the room. When the poor miller's daughter haplessly told him her pitiful tale, the strange little man at once offered her a deal. "I shall spin all this straw into gold for you, if you will give me something in return."" Gold spoke the imp's words in a strange high pitched voice that made Victoria giggle.

"The girl offered him the bracelet she was wearing about her arm and the little imp set straight to work upon the spinning wheel. By morning all the straw had been spun into gold. When the King came to check on the Miller's daughter, his heart swelled with greed and astonishment at the sight of all that gold."

"So then did he marry the poor miller's daughter?" Victoria asked not flinching as her Papa put the bandaid over her cut.

Gold looked up and chuckled at her question. "No Dear, you know how the story goes. The King was not satisfied with the little room full of gold. So that night he locked the poor girl into a larger room filled with more straw and ordered for her to spin it into gold as well. Of course no sooner had the guards locked her in then the little imp entered through a hole in the wall asking for some prize in return for spinning the new straw into gold."

Gold quietly closed the box of bandaids. "This time the girl gave him her necklace and watched as the little man spun and spun working all through the night until once again all the straw had been turned into gold. The King was stunned when he saw all the gold the next morning." He put everything back into the first aid kit.

"However he was still greedy for more so that night he locked the miller's daughter one more time into another room with still more straw and a spinning wheel. This time the poor thing had nothing to give to the little imp when he appeared to spin the straw for her. So after thinking a moment, the imp proposed a different deal with the girl." Gold smiled and helped his daughter down from the toilet lid.

" "In return for spinning the straw tonight, you must promise to give to me the first child born to you after you wed the King."" Victoria looked up at him worried as she reached for her toothbrush at the sink.

"The miller's daughter agreed to the deal and as he had before, the little imp spun all the straw in the gold." Gold picked up the toothpaste and popped off the cap.

"The next morning when the King saw the new piles of freshly spun gold, he became overjoyed and wasted no time in making the poor girl his bride and Queen. Before the year was out, a son was born to the royal couple." Mr. Gold helped Victoria to get some toothpaste on her toothbrush and turned on the sink.

"The young Queen quite adored her child and she did not even remember her promise to the imp until one night when he appeared through a hole in the wall by the young prince's cradle. Before the Queen could hurry to her child, the little man screamed. "Give me the child!" "

Victoria paused briefly with the toothbrush in her mouth. A bit of foam dribbled onto her shirt as she waited for her Papa to continue the story.

"The poor Queen cried and cried." Gold reached for a towel. "She begged the imp not to take away her son and finally though reluctantly, the little man agreed. "Very well," He said." He wiped up the toothpaste.

" "If in three days you can guess my name, you may keep your child. But," Here the Imp scowled darkly. "If you cannot, I will take him away and you will never see him again." The Queen helplessly agreed to his proposal." Gold sighed as he watched his daughter rinse her mouth.

"The next day she went through all the books in the royal library looking for all the names that she could find. When the little imp appeared in her chamber again later that night, she recited every name on her list. "Giles?...Victor?...Emmett?" The Queen tried."

"Dear oh dear, nowhere near." Victoria recited giggling as she looked up adoringly at her Father. Gold returned her smile.

"That's right. So the next day the Queen had all the royal scholars and wisemen from all over the kingdom brought to her and they helped her to find more names to try. But again that night when the little imp appeared he danced around grinning like a little fiend and chanting "Dear oh dear. Nowhere near. Nowhere near." "

"So then what happened?" Victoria asked as she usually did every time Mr. Gold told her the story.

Gold sighed and took his daughter by the hand to lead her from the bathroom. "Well, the Queen fell into despair. For only more day remained and she could not for the life of her think of what the strange little man's name could be. Then later that afternoon a young shepherd boy asked to see the Queen and he told her a strange tale. "I was following a stray lamb into the woods when I saw a strange creature had lit a fire in the clearing. As I watched it began to sing and dance "When the sun sets low in the sky tonight, I shall dine on a princely delight. What a treat! A feast for Rumpelstiltskin!" "

Victoria gasped again, this time in excitement as Mr. Gold helped her change into her pajamas and tucked her into bed.

"That night when the little imp appeared in the Queen's bedchamber she clapped her hands in eager anticipation.

" "I have it! You are called Rumpelstiltskin!" The Queen cried out." Gold reached to dim the lights slightly, making sure to leave enough light so that his daughter would not be frightened.

"The old imp scowled darkly at the sound of his name. In a fit of rage he screamed terribly, pounded the air with his fists, then disappeared in a cloud of black smoke never to be seen again by the Queen or any in the realm. The End." Gold finished the story and bent to give his daughter a kiss on her forehead.

"And the Queen and King lived happily ever after with the baby?" Victoria asked. Gold nodded his head. "That's right. Would you like another story? I think you deserve it for how brave you were tonight." He smiled warmly.

Victoria smiled and thought about it. "Mmm...I want Cinderella." She decided. Gold smiled and got up to find the fairytale book from his daughter's bookshelf. "All right." He carried the book back to his daughter's bedside and sat down in the chair beside her.

"Papa?" Victoria leaned slightly across the bed. "Yes Darling?" Gold looked at her with a soft inquiring look on his face.

The girl hesitated briefly. "I love you." Gold smiled at the sincerity in her voice. "I love you too, Victoria."

He opened the thick volume to the story Victoria had chosen. He felt Victoria reach across the bed to grab his hand. Turning to meet her gaze, he gently grasped her fingers in his own before beginning to read the well loved fairytale aloud in a strong soft voice.

"Once Upon A Time, there was a man who had one daughter. A daughter he loved more than he did anything else in the whole world..."

...


	5. Kindergarten

(Here's a new short. Hope you like it. It's about Victoria's first day of Kindergarten. I hope I kept Mr. Gold in character and that you guys enjoy the little story. If you want I'm open to suggestions about shorts you my readers would like me to write about Victoria and Gold. :) I own nothing but Victoria)

Kindergarten

...

It was a cool, brisk Monday morning when Gold and his little girl walked towards the little temporary building at Storybrooke Primary School together hand in hand.

There were many other children there walking in at that time accompanied by one or two parents. Some children looked eager to be going to their first day of school while others like Victoria looked more unsure and nervous.

One little girl who had bright pink ribbons tied into her hair took one look at Mr. Gold standing behind her then shuddered before turning quickly back away clutching her Mother's hand very tightly.

Victoria sighed as she noticed this little reaction. "Papa, I'm don't want to go in." She murmured for what seemed like the 20th time since Gold first told her she'd be starting kindergarten this year.

Her soft round brown eyes twinkled anxiously as she watched the children in front of her get marched into the classroom by their parents where a friendly looking lady in a pleasant pink dress waited to greet them.

Gold sighed and turned to looked down at his daughter. "Sweetheart we talked about this. You're going to be fine. It's only till twelve o clock. I'll be back to pick you up when the bell rings." He gave Victoria's hand a little squeeze as they inched closer towards the entrance and took a deep nervous breath of his own.

"Just think about all the interesting things you'll get to do in school."

Victoria snuggled into him longingly at this. "But why can't I just stay with you, Papa?We always do fun things. Why do I have to go to school to do them?" She asked.

Gold cuddled his arm affectionately against her at this. "Because as much as I'd love to keep you with me, you _have_ to go. It's important." He stroked her cheek to make her feel better as they approached the door to the kindergarten.

"You'll learn things that I wouldn't have time to teach you myself. Thiings like how to read all the books I bought you and to count all the letters I put in your alphabet soup. You may even learn how to play some games and to write your name. Wouldn't you like that?" He looked down to meet his daughter's eyes trying to convince himself as much as he was her.

Victoria sighed. "I guess..But couldn't you stay with me, Papa?" She asked digging her fingernails lightly into his hand. Gold started to respond.

"Why hello! You must be Victoria. I'm Ms. Rosewater. Welcome to Kindergarten." The teacher eagerly held out her hand to the small girl interrupting whatever Gold had been about to say to her.

Instead of taking the teacher's hand, Victoria glanced worriedly at her before looking back at her Father who in return lovingly yet firmly nudged her forward, prizing his grip on her hand with some reluctance.

Ms. Rosewater realizing that Victoria was a little shy and unsure motioned to a row of little cupboards located at the very back of the little classroom still smiling as she tried to distract her newest student with the colorful pictures posted to each cubby.

"Look over there Victoria. One of those cubbies has your name on it. Would you like to come see it and put your backpack in it? It's been waiting just for you." The teacher smiled glancing briefly at Gold who stood silently behind his daughter hoping as Ms. Rosewater was that Victoria would soon warm to her new environment.

Victoria glanced at the cupboards then shook her head. "Teddy doesn't like to be in the dark." She muttered feeling her cheeks turn pink as she scuffed her shoe on the floor.

Ms. Rosewater lowered her hand as a little boy playing nearby with a train set snickered in their direction.

Gold tightened his grip on his cane.

"Well that's all right. Come on! Let me show you around our kindergarten. I think you'll really like it here." She smiled warmly at the child then looked up at Mr. Gold as if asking his permission.

Gold nodded and nudged Victoria gently with the tip of his cane. "Go on, Victoria. It'll be all right." He coaxed biting his lip as he watched his daughter continue to hesitate in front of him.

Almost instantly Victoria turned a longing gaze back in his direction at his order until she heard the teacher talk again.

"Do you like to color, Victoria? We have some nice crayons and some paper over at that table. Would you like to draw something to take back to your Daddy after school?" Ms. Rosewater tried again, her voice showing the seemingly everlasting patience she had honed since first becoming a teacher.

Finally Victoria nodded her head and a brief half smile tugged at the corner of her lips at the mention of coloring before the shyness and uncertainty returned to her expression.

Gold smiled too. If there was one thing his little girl loved to do almost more than anything else in the world. It was drawing and coloring.

"Come on then." Ms. Rosewater answered, relieved when the girl finally followed her to the little table where two other children were already sitting busy scrubbing away at their pieces of paper with various colors of crayon.

Gold watched, relieved as well as he listened to Victoria shyly greet the two children after the teacher introduced them.

One of them he recognized immediately as Henry, the Mayor's son and he hoped for a minute that Victoria wouldn't choose to get too close to him.

"Hi! I'm Henry." Henry offered Victoria a half smile before returning his attention back to his drawing. The girl seated to his left then glanced at Victoria before cringing as if seeing a spider on the wall before dropping her gaze.

Gold barely managed to suppress a sigh when Victoria noticed this.

"I'm...Victoria." Victoria slowly answered Henry's greeting eyeing the other girl with some uncertainty before glancing down at the basket of crayons on the table.

Ms. Rosewater smiled and pulled out the empty chair next to the girl who had ignored Victoria.

"Here, why don't you sit here next to Paige and draw a picture for your Dad? We'll have snack time in a bit and then we're going to read a story together on the storytime rug." She pulled a fresh sheet of paper from a pile on the table and set it in front of Victoria.

"Do you like stories, Victoria?"

Victoria nodded her head, smiling again as she surveyed the crayons in the box in front of her."Yes. Papa and I read stories together every night." She said studying her paper for a bit before selecting a blue crayon from the box.

She happened to reach in at the same time as Henry and the two looked up at each other as their hands bumped.

Henry smiled and after a moment, Victoria did too. "Sorry." She mumbled at the same time Henry did.

Gold watched as the two children burst into laughter together and started to go forward to dissuade his daughter from getting too friendly with the Mayor's boy when he thought better of it.

After all who was he to burst her little bubble when she was finally starting to make friends and adjust to her new surroundings? Hopefully Victoria would make more friends soon and hopefully they would help her to forget about Henry in the long run.

With this in mind he slowly turned to leave the Kindergarten classroom, looking back only one more time to make sure Victoria was really well settled.

Seeing that she was, he stepped quietly out the door not stopping until he reached the shop five blocks from the school.

It would be a long five hour wait.

...


	6. Sick Daddy

(So I'm not sure if Rumplestiltskin is able to get sick or not, but in this story he is :P. Hope you enjoy though Victoria doesn't come in into the story till the end. Sorry if he's out of character. I own nothing but Victoria)

Sick Daddy

...

_Ohhh would this day never end? _Gold groaned as he tried to concentrate on the jewel clock he was fixing. His head throbbed as it had all morning since he got up to take Victoria to school and his throat stung from all the coughs he had tried and failed to suppress.

"Excuse me, are you ill?" A sudden voice made him jump. "I'm fine!" Gold scowled snapping when he noticed a man standing on the other side of the counter gazing at him with a look that seemed to be a mixture of fear and concern.

The man jumped at the harshness of Gold's response. "Oh!..Right well I suppose this wouldn't be a good time to ask about something?" He shuffled his feet on the rough concrete flooring of the shop making the pawn shop owner cringe as the rough soles of his shoes made an irritating scratching noise that aggravated his headache.

"Sorry, but I'm about to close. There's a child waiting for me at Storybrooke Elementary and she'll worry if I'm late. So do us both a favor and kindly leave this instant." He fumbled irritably for his cane.

The man inclined his head to the side. "But...it's only ten o clock." He responded hesitantly flinching as if expecting Mr. Gold to whop him with the end of his walking stick.

Fortunately for him, Mr. Gold was too bothered by his headache and cough to really pay attention to him.

Thrusting open the front door, Mr. Gold stepped out into the cool autumn air and took a deep breath hoping it would be enough to alleviate some of the pain behind his temples.

Unfortunately, the wind only served to make him feel iller and by the time he reached the first bus stop at the end of the street he could barely walk straight even with the help of his cane.

"Mr. Gold? Are you all right?" Granny frowned as she crossed the street her arms full of groceries as she took in the pale man in front of her.

Gold responded by groaning and sinking down into the bench at the bus stop. "I'll be fine. I just need some air." He coughed before a sudden chilled breeze blew down the street.

Granny shook her head. "You sound like you've got a frog in your throat. Why didn't you bring your car?" She asked setting down the groceries carefully before inching closer to inspect the town owner.

When Gold uttered no further response, Granny laid a hand on his forehead a bold move in most people's eyes. She frowned when she felt how warm the man was.

"Gold I hate to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but you need to go to bed. I'll pick up Victoria and bring her home after supper." She promised, but again Gold did not respond except for a weak sounding cough.

Granny sighed. "Fine. I guess first things first then." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a cellphone.

"Ruby," She spoke the minute someone answered her call. "Go by Storybrooke Elementary at 12:30 and pick up Victoria Gold. Bring her back to the Diner and keep her with you. I'm taking Mr. Gold home."

...

"Well it's about time you woke up. I've already given Victoria her bath and put her to bed." Granny grumbled good-naturedly as she carried a tray of soup into room where Gold was lying a face cloth pressed to his forehead.

"Mind you she was being quite fussy about it. She wanted to stay with you, but I told Ruby to keep her away. We don't need her catching a cold or whatever it is you have now do we?"

Gold groaned and started to take the face cloths off when he thought better of it. "Where am I? How did I get here?" He asked upon realizing that he was not in his own bedroom.

Granny gave him a look. "You're at the Bed and Breakfast Inn. Your fever was climbing so I brought you here instead of taking you all the way back to your mansion. Did you know you were over 102 an hour ago?" She asked in a prim mothering voice that Gold found annoying.

"It's just a head cold." He muttered scowling when he noted how unthreatening he sounded through a stuffed up nose. "No one ever dies from a cold."

"Well better safe than sorry." Granny did not even wince as she picked up a bottle of medicine from the bed side table.

Gold narrowed his eyes at the bottle. "I don't need that. I just need to sleep." He glowered though Granny did not seem to be heeding him.

"If you want to be well enough to take your daughter home tomorrow I suggest you not fight me on this, Mr. Gold." Granny measured out the medicine and held it out to the pawnbroker.

"Besides you want to set a good example for your daughter, don't you?" She added knowing that would persuade him.

Still Gold sighed annoyed that he was being subjected to this before taking the small cup of medicine in his hand.

Briefly he sniffed the bitter scent of the repulsive liquid before quickly downing it in one gulp.

"Good man. Now get some rest. I'll be in tomorrow morning to check on you." Granny promised, picking up the face cloths and the medicine before heading out of the room.

Gold groaned and closed his eyes as his caretaker graciously switched off the lights and shut the door.

He hoped the next time he woke up, he would find himself back home.

...

"Papa?" A soft yet not so soft whisper woke him up not two hours after he'd finally nodded off again.

Opening his eyes, Gold squinted through the darkness just as something small padded across the room and climbed up on the bed next to him.

"Papa? Are you awake?" Victoria whispered crawling up to her Father's side with a small blanket clutched in one hand.

Gold sighed and tried to suppress a row of coughs before speaking. "Why aren't you asleep Victoria? It's late and you shouldn't be here." He tried to reprimand her, but his throat was uncooperative.

Victoria snuggled against him making him cringe. "I couldn't sleep. I want to stay with you." She answered no longer whispering but not talking very loudly yet.

Gold sighed and smiled a bit though of course in the dark Victoria couldn't see. "I want you to stay with me too Victoria, but Papa's sick right now. Go back to bed and I'll see you in the morning." He tried to nudge her away, but the child stuck to him like glue.

"Please Papa? I promise I'll be good. Please?" She pleaded grabbing his arm under the sheets and pulling it towards her like a stuffed animal.

Gold groaned. "I know you will be good Victoria, but Papa doesn't want you to get sick. You'd have to miss school and your playdate with Paige and Emily tomorrow." He coughed taking care not to do so in his daughter's direction.

"Do you want that to happen?" He asked. He felt the mattress shift a bit though not a lot and even though he could not see her very well in the dark he knew Victoria had sat up on the bed and was thinking very hard about what he had asked her.

"Emily doesn't like me. She broke my crayons today at coloring time." She murmured making Gold frown a bit.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But what about Paige and school? You like them don't you?" He asked grimacing at the pain talking caused his throat.

Victoria sighed. "I guess, but I still want to stay with you." She whined and clutched her blankie in her hands. Gold matched her sigh and sat up with some difficulty next to her.

"Tell you what. If Papa feels better enough tomorrow, we'll stay here and have breakfast at the Diner together before I take you to school. Would you like that? Is it a deal?" He asked holding out his hand shakily in the way he always did when making little compromises like this with his daughter.

A few moments later, Gold felt a small hand eagerly grab his own. "Deal!" Victoria answered almost forgetting in her excitement to keep her voice down.

Gold chuckled and softly shushed her. "Good, now no more whining. Go back to bed and not another peep until morning is that clear?" He asked suppressing the urge to hug her and kiss her hair.

Victoria nodded her head. "Yes Papa." She started to scoot her way off the bed then turned and hugged him lightly before scampering off out of the room.

"Goodnight Papa."

Gold sighed and sank wearily back down on the bed smiling to himself despite the discomforts of his illness. "Goodnight...Victoria."

...


End file.
